"My grandmother's house has a picture of Uncle Ho" - a special song by composer Phan Thanh Chương.
"My Grandmother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho" was composed by musician Phan Thanh Chương (real name Phan Hồng Trường), from Thanh Chương, when he came across a poem of the same name by poet Trịnh Triệu, which coincided with his musical idea.
The melodies immediately filled him with joy, as if it were a rare reunion between music and poetry. He began composing the notes in the gentle, heartfelt Then style, as if fulfilling his lifelong dream of completing a major musical project.
In an interview with the press, composer Phan Thanh Chuong stated that he had been pondering the theme of composing music about President Ho Chi Minh for decades, but partly because he didn't know how to portray the President's image in a way that was truly relatable, and partly because he was overwhelmed by the President's greatness, he hadn't been able to create a work he was satisfied with.
He also confided that wanting to write about Uncle Ho was not only the urge of a musician born and raised in Nghe An province, but also the burning desire of an artist to express his feelings for the beloved leader. For musician Phan Thanh Chuong, who had served in the military and was passionate about art, that love was even more compelling.
Composer Phan Thanh Chương once recounted: “In 1969, after I had been in the army for 2-3 years, during a group activity, we received news of Uncle Ho's passing. The shock and profound grief enveloped the room; everyone was in tears, and many couldn't hold back their sorrow for days. For us soldiers, Uncle Ho's image was like a guiding torch, a symbol of unwavering faith in victory, giving us the strength to overcome the enemy's bombs and bullets. That sentiment was our guide in life and in fighting to achieve the most beautiful things.”
In 1971, composer Phan Thanh Chuong went to music school, carrying with him the sentiment and the desire to write a song about President Ho Chi Minh. However, at that time, there were many classic songs by earlier composers such as Nguyen Tai Tue, An Thuyen, and Thuan Yen, which made him hesitant to write. Then, when he heard the song "Listening to the Boatman's Song at Night, Remembering President Ho Chi Minh" by composer An Thuyen, his emotions surged again; the image of President Ho Chi Minh in the song was truly endearing. From then on, he cherished the idea of writing about President Ho Chi Minh with that approach—simple and intimate. Unfortunately, at that time, he had not yet encountered any poetic or musical inspiration that would evoke the profound emotion he desired to write about the President.
In 1980, he transferred from the Nghe Tinh Department of Culture and Information to the Thanh Chuong District Department of Culture and Information, where he was assigned the task of assisting with the arts and culture activities of the Nghe Tinh Power Plant's art troupe. The post-liberation arts and culture movement was very vibrant, with enthusiastic workers eager to contribute their songs and performances. However, there was a lack of guidance, so his role was to be the core figure and guide the art troupe's activities, from staging to rehearsals.
One day, the poet Trinh Trieu came to visit him. Trinh Trieu read some of his newly composed poems to musician Phan Thanh Chuong, including "My Mother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho." "Suddenly, I was startled when I only heard the second line; the imagery in the poem was so endearing: 'My mother's house has a picture of Uncle Ho, so she's not poor.' The line evoked and expressed my own feelings. I stopped the conversation and asked Trinh Trieu to handwrite the poem for me. I set it to music that same afternoon, and in just a few hours, the song 'My Mother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho' was completed," musician Phan Thanh Chuong recounted.
“Because the poem has a 4/4 rhythm, I chose the Then melody of the Thai ethnic group to develop the music for the song. From the moment I recited the poem, I felt this melody creeping into my mind, and the lines like, ‘Mother lives precariously, mother lives on the mountaintop, her house has a picture of Uncle Ho, so she is not poor,’ ‘With Uncle Ho's guidance, she is not afraid of getting lost…’ fit so perfectly with the Then melody. The Then melody also allows the song to portray the deep affection of the villagers for Uncle Ho: ‘Mother’s house has a picture of Uncle Ho, her heart respects and loves him,’” composer Thanh Chương recalled about the musical process for this special song.
Later, after moving to Hanoi, the composer gave this piece of music to the poet and composer Nguyen Trong Tao, who praised it highly and sent it to the Voice of Vietnam Radio. Later, after meeting the poet Hoang Ngoc Anh and asking composer Vu Thanh to review it, Vu Thanh also liked it very much and brought it back to the Radio's staff quarters to give to artist Thanh Hoa to perform.
One day, when composer Phan Thanh Chuong had returned to Nghe An, he was surprised to hear his song "My Mother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho" performed by artist Thanh Hoa. Her melodious voice, infused with the Then style, and the boundless affection of an artist for Uncle Ho, deeply moved him.
The song "My Grandmother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho" was later sung by many artists and achieved success on numerous stages, festivals, and performances. Many singers truly have a "life of their own" with this song, such as Ngoc Ha, People's Artist Thanh Hoa, Bich Hong, etc. Whenever "My Grandmother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho" is sung, we feel peace and love; singing about Uncle Ho is singing about homeland, singing about family with the most sacred feelings.
After "My Grandmother's House Has a Picture of Uncle Ho," composer Phan Thanh Chuong also wrote many other beautiful works about Uncle Ho, with the simplest and most endearing images such as "Remembering the Man Who Scooped Water with a Bucket," "In This World, Only Uncle Ho Is There," and "Truong Sa, Fragrant with Lotus." Many of these works won high prizes in songwriting competitions about Ho Chi Minh. That is the happiness of a musician who spent his life seeking beautiful melodies to offer to the world, especially his songs about Uncle Ho, which have been recognized by the public and have a brilliant life of their own…
